纽约不插电 (1994)

MTV Unplugged in New York is the first live album by the American rock band Nirvana, released by DGC Records on November 1, 1994, nearly seven months after the suicide of Kurt Cobain. It was part of the cable television series MTV Unplugged and features a mostly acoustic performance. It was recorded at Sony Music Studios in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, on November 18, 1993.

The show was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller and aired on the cable television network MTV on December 16, 1993. In a break with MTV Unplugged tradition, Nirvana used some electric amplification and effects, and played mainly lesser-known material and covers, with performances of songs by David Bowie, Lead Belly, Meat Puppets and the Vaselines. They were joined by the rhythm guitarist Pat Smear and the cellist Lori Goldston, alongside the Meat Puppets members Cris and Curt Kirkwood for some songs.

MTV Unplugged was released after plans to release the performance as part of a live album, Verse Chorus Verse, were abandoned. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified eight-times platinum in 2020. It won the Best Alternative Music Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards, Nirvana's only Grammy Award. It was released on DVD in 2007.

Background

MTV Unplugged began airing on MTV in 1989, with artists performing their hits on acoustic instruments in intimate settings. Nirvana had been in negotiations to appear for some time; Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain finally accepted while touring with the Meat Puppets. Nirvana wanted to do something different from a typical MTV Unplugged performance, which they had found unimpressive. According to drummer Dave Grohl, "We'd seen the other Unpluggeds and didn't like many of them, because most bands would treat them like rock shows—play their hits like it was Madison Square Garden, except with acoustic guitars."

The group looked at Mark Lanegan's largely acoustic 1990 album The Winding Sheet, on which Cobain had performed, for inspiration. The ideas the band members came up with included covering David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World" and inviting members of the Meat Puppets to join them on stage. Still, the prospect of an entirely acoustic show reportedly made Cobain nervous.

Rehearsal

Nirvana rehearsed for two days, at SST Rehearsal Facility, in Weehawken, New Jersey. The rehearsals were tense and difficult, with the band running into problems performing various songs. During the sessions, Cobain disagreed with MTV about the performance. Producer Alex Coletti recalled that the network was unhappy with the lack of hit Nirvana songs, and with the choice of the Meat Puppets as guests, saying: "They wanted to hear the 'right' names – Eddie Vedder or Tori Amos or God knows who."

The day before filming, Cobain refused to play, but he appeared at the studio the following afternoon. Cobain was suffering from drug withdrawal and nervousness at the time; one observer said, "There was no joking, no smiles, no fun coming from him ... everyone was more than a little worried about his performance."

Recording

Nirvana taped their performance on November 18, 1993, at Sony Studios in New York City. Cobain suggested the stage be decorated with stargazer lilies, black candles, and a crystal chandelier. Coletti asked, "You mean like a funeral?" Cobain replied, "Exactly. Like a funeral."

Will Sergeant of Echo & the Bunnymen claimed that the green cardigan Cobain wore in the performance belonged to him, however, this claim remains unverified.